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Worldwide broadband speed league 2023

A global league table of internet network speeds derived from around 1.3 billion speed tests taken in the 12 months up to 30 June 2023 and spanning 220 countries.

Download data (.xls)

Interactive map

Using the map

Countries are colour-coded by the average broadband network speed measured there. You can see at a glance that Western Europe, North America and the Baltic regions dominate the upper speed bands. Meanwhile, the African continent, Central and South America, the Near East and the CIS make up the lion's share of landmass where network speeds are slowest.

Hovering over an individual country will bring up its associated data. This includes country name, its ranking out of the 220 countries measured, its mean download speed, the number of unique IP addresses tested, the total number of tests and how long it takes to download an HD movie of 5GB in size.

Why some countries are missing data

Countries where fewer than 100 measurements could be taken during the sample period were excluded from the study and therefore from the map. You can still see the data for these countries if you wish – they are included in the 'Excluded countries' tab of the downloadable data. However, due to the small sample size the numbers are going to be unreliable.

This year's excluded countries are: Åland, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Central African Republic, Cook Islands, Christmas Island, Western Sahara, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Kiribati, Comoros, North Korea, Montserrat, Norfolk Island, Nauru, Niue, Pitcairn Islands, Palau, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States Minor Outlying Islands, and Samoa.

Related research

Cable.co.uk also undertakes annual tracking studies covering the cost of 1GB of mobile data in over 200 countries, and the cost of broadband packages in over 200 countries. In August of 2020, we also released an in-depth data set on how COVID-19 lockdown periods impacted global network speeds. Finally, for the first time, in 2021, Cable.co.uk undertook a study of global electricity pricing.

Highlights

Here is a quick look at some of the highlights unearthed in the study.

Jersey

#1. Jersey

Jersey was the first jurisdiction in the world to make pure fibre (FTTP) available to every broadband user. Jersey Telecom now offers its customers a minimum download speed of 944Mbps.

Liechtenstein

#2. Liechtenstein

99% of Liechtenstein's population are internet users, and, as a result of its small geographical area, the country enjoys excellent broadband infrastructure with high speeds for all.

Macau

#3. Macau

Macau has remained in third place this year with no significant increase in its average network speeds, indicating take-up saturation of current infrastructure.

Iceland

#4. Iceland

Iceland's Rural Fibre Project, which guarantees a minimum speed of 100Mbps to 99.9% of its population, has meant the country has held onto its top-four position from last year.

The fastest and slowest countries in the world for broadband speed

Here we take a closer look at the five fastest and slowest countries in the world in terms of average internet download speeds.

Countries in the world with the slowest internet

The five countries or territories in the world with the slowest network speeds are Afghanistan (1.71Mbps), the Yemen (1.79Mbps), Syria (2.30Mbps), East Timor (2.50Mbps) and Equatorial Guinea (2.70Mbps).

Two of the bottom five are located in Asia, two in Near East, and one in Sub-Saharan Africa. All of these countries suffer from underdeveloped network infrastructure and low uptake of digital services among their populations.

Countries with the fastest internet

The five countries or territories with the fastest internet in the world are the channel island of Jersey (264.52Mbps), Liechtenstein (246.76Mbps), Macau (231.40Mbps), Iceland (229.35Mbps) and Gibraltar (206.27Mbps).

It will be immediately striking to most that all of these countries share similarities. Four of the five are within Western Europe, with Macau being the obvious exception. All are either small or island nations. It is much easier to roll out FTTP full fibre broadband and 5G mobile internet to a smaller population and/or across a smaller area.

Regions

Here we take a closer look at the average speeds across 13 global regions. Each of the numbers in the following diagram is the mean speed in Mbps for each of these regions, ordered by fastest to slowest.

Western Europe

All 28 countries measured in Western Europe were in the top half of the table, with eight of them in the top ten. The regional average speed of 118.69Mbps makes it the fastest of the 13 global regions overall. Impressive average speeds were measured for regional top-three Jersey (264.52Mbps, 1st), Liechtenstein (246.76Mbps, 2nd) and Iceland 229.35Mbps, 4th). The slowest places in the region were Faroe Islands (41.97Mbps, 92nd), Denmark (49.98Mbps, 71st), and Austria (55.82Mbps, 67th).

  • Position: 1st
  • Total counties tested: 28
  • Average download speed: 118.69Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 243,885,500
  • Total unique IPs: 64,420,252
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:07:18

Northern America

Five countries were measured in Northern America, all of which were in the top half of the table. The region as a whole has an average speed of 94.02Mbps. The United States (136.48Mbps, 12th) led the region with Canada (136.08Mbps, 13th) coming a close second, and Bermuda (95.58Mbps, 30th) in third place. Meanwhile, Greenland (41.19Mbps, 95th) was the slowest in the region, followed by Saint Pierre and Miquelon (60.77Mbps, 57th).

  • Position: 2nd
  • Total counties tested: 5
  • Average download speed: 94.02Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 402,027,203
  • Total unique IPs: 78,238,396
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:09:00

Baltics

The Baltics, comprising three qualifying countries, ranked entirely within the top 50, and have an overall regional average of 80.09Mbps. Lithuania fared best in 37th place overall and with an average speed of 87.09Mbps. Lithuania (86.36Mbps, 38st), and Latvia (66.79Mbps, 40th) followed behind.

  • Position: 3rd
  • Total counties tested: 3
  • Average download speed: 80.09Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 145,179
  • Total unique IPs: 27,584
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:08:39

Eastern Europe

There are 16 qualifying countries in the Eastern Europe region, all bar two of which are in the top half of the table, with six making it into the top 50. Overall the region averages 67.92Mbps. The fastest three were Slovakia (138.03Mbps, 11th), Romania (100.66Mbps, 25th) and North Macedonia (97.88Mbps, 26th). The slowest three were Albania (25.36Mbps, 125th), Croatia (25.72Mbps, 124th), and Bulgaria (40.43Mbps, 98th).

  • Position: 4th
  • Total counties tested: 16
  • Average download speed: 67.92Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 14,797,371
  • Total unique IPs: 1,376,998
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:12:35

Asia (excl. Near East)

27 countries were measured in the Asia (ex. Near East) region, which clocked in a regional average speed of 45.72Mbps. The fastest average speeds were measured in Macau (231.40Mbps, 3rd), Taiwan (153.51Mbps, 8th), and Japan (124.70Mbps, 18th). Afghanistan (1.71Mbps, 220th), East Timor (2.50Mbps, 217th), and Pakistan (5.32Mbps, 200th) were the slowest in the region, with East Timor and Afghanistan among the slowest ten countries in the world.

  • Position: 5th
  • Total counties tested: 27
  • Average download speed: 45.72Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 420,192,438
  • Total unique IPs: 102,836,602
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:35:58

South America

The 13 countries measured in South America span from the middle to the lower end, with a regional average speed of 44.38Mbps. The fastest internet in South America can be found in Uruguay (111.46Mbps, 20th), Chile (85.49Mbps, 40th) and Brazil (72.70Mbps, 48th). Venezuela (10.92Mbps, 168th), Suriname (12.48Mbps, 159th), and Bolivia (16.00Mbps, 148th) were the slowest in the region.

  • Position: 6th
  • Total counties tested: 13
  • Average download speed: 44.38Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 105,619,542
  • Total unique IPs: 31,814,517
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:24:02

Caribbean

Overall the Caribbean region fared well for what are essentially island nations, with five of its 27 countries featuring in the top 50 fastest countries in the world. Overall, the region offers a respectable 38.93Mbps on average. At the faster end, the Cayman Islands (125.08Mbps, 17th), Puerto Rico (96.65Mbps, 29th), and Barbados (93.50Mbps, 35th) led the way, while Cuba (4.14Mbps, 209th), Haiti (10.75Mbps, 170th), Sint Maarten (16.00Mbps, 147th), and Dominican Republic (19.48Mbps, 137th) were the slowest.

  • Position: 7th
  • Total counties tested: 27
  • Average download speed: 38.93Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 1,078,807
  • Total unique IPs: 242,597
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:23:16

Central America

Most Central American countries found themselves toward the middle of the league table. The region as a whole has an average speed of 32.88Mbps. The fastest average speeds can be found in Panama (56.93Mbps, 65th), Costa Rica (42.51Mbps, 90th), and Belize (38.86Mbps, 100th). Meanwhile, Honduras (16.76Mbps, 143rd), Guatamala (23.26Mbps, 129th), and El Salvador (23.56Mbps, 128th) all performed relatively poorly.

  • Position: 8th
  • Total counties tested: 7
  • Average download speed: 32.88Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 18,620,387
  • Total unique IPs: 5,530,028
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:23:50

Near East

The 15 countries in the Near East measured for this year's speed league table span the middle to the bottom of the table. The average download speed for the region is 30.41Mbps. The fastest countries were Israel (75.03Mbps, 46th), Qatar (50.68Mbps, 70th) and Bahrain (47.72Mbps, 75th). The slowest were Yemen (1.79Mbps, 219th), Syria (2.30Mbps, 218th) and Lebanon (6.55Mbps, 191st).

  • Position: 9th
  • Total counties tested: 15
  • Average download speed: 30.41Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 4,678,132
  • Total unique IPs: 1,451,161
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 0:30:41

Oceania

Of the 14 qualifying countries in Oceania, most were in the bottom half of the speed table. The region has an overall average of 25.93Mbps. Leading the regional table here is New Zealand (97.09Mbps, 27th), followed by Australia (51.27Mbps, 69th) in second place, with the Marshall Islands (36.89Mbps, 103rd) in third place. The slowest in the region were Wallis and Futuna (2.72Mbps, 215th), the Federated States of Micronesia (4.25Mbps, 208th) and Vanuatu (6.57Mbps, 190th).

  • Position: 10th
  • Total counties tested: 14
  • Average download speed: 25.93Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 33,258,801
  • Total unique IPs: 6,851,545
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 1:04:04

CIS

Of the 11 CIS nations in the table, most can be found from the middle of the table downwards. The region had an average speed of 22.92Mbps. The top three fastest nations in the region are Russia (57.95Mbps, 62nd), Ukraine (38.13Mbps, 101st, whose speed has slowed significantly this year for obvious reasons), and Belarus (34.10Mbps, 109th). The slowest countries in the region were Tajikistan (2.98Mbps, 214th), Turkmenistan (4.49Mbps, 206th) and Azerbaijan (10.20Mbps, 171st). Both Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were among the slowest 20 places in the world.

  • Position: 11th
  • Total counties tested: 11
  • Average download speed: 22.92Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 2,214,509
  • Total unique IPs: 511,238
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 1:01:36

Sub-Saharan Africa

47 countries were measured in the second-slowest region Sub-Saharan Africa, which averaged a download speed of 12.11Mbps overall. All but four of the countries found themselves in the slowest half of the league table. Going against the trend somewhat were Réunion (45.51Mbps, 79th), Rwanda (39.89Mbps, 99th), South Africa (36.46Mbps, 104th), and Burkina Faso (35.64Mbps, 108th). Meanwhile, Equatorial Guinea (2.70Mbps, 216th), Cameroon (3.16Mbps, 213th), Ethiopia (3.54Mbps, and 212th), Burundi (3.70Mbps, 211th) all fell among the slowest ten countries in the world for average network speed.

  • Position: 12th
  • Total counties tested: 47
  • Average download speed: 12.11Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 30,395,299
  • Total unique IPs: 3,032,136
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 1:29:35

Northern Africa

Northern Africa recorded the slowest overall internet speeds as a collective region, with an average speed of just 9.81Mbps. Morocco (16.49Mbps, 144th), Egypta (9.75Mbps, 172nd), and Tunisia (9.60Mbps, 174th) offered the fastest speeds in the region. Libya (6.32Mbps) recorded the slowest speed in 195th place, followed by Algeria (7.73Mbps, 187th), and Mauritania (8.95Mbps, 182nd).

  • Position: 13th
  • Total counties tested: 6
  • Average download speed: 9.81Mbps
  • Total speed tests: 14,219,203
  • Total unique IPs: 4,460,757
  • Average time for 5GB movie (HH:MM:SS): 1:15:52

Historical averages

Tracking broadband speed measurements in 220 countries and territories across multiple 12-month periods has allowed us to generate an overall average speed for the globe and to see how this number changes over time. The good news is that the global average speed continues rising fast.

Year Average download (Mbps) Change (Mbps) Percentage
2023 46.79 +7.41 30.04%
2022 35.98 +6.19 20.78%
2021 29.79 +4.96 19.98%
2020 24.83 +13.8 125.11%
2019 11.03 +1.89 20.68%
2018 9.14 +1.73 23.35%
2017 7.41 - -

Our comments on the research

The UK continues to keep apace with average speeds around the world, failing to gain ground on other countries in the global league table, while at the same time maintaining roughly the same position.

Speeds have increased globally by 30.044% since the same period in 2021/2022, while UK speeds have increased by 29.933% across the same period.

Meanwhile, Europe continues to dominate the global league table, extending its lead over much of the world as FTTP full fibre continues to make an increasingly large dent in consumer uptake..

Resources

Downloadable versions of the data set (.xls), the original press release and the research methodology (.pdf)

file-xlsx

League table

The full data set can be downloaded here.

Download
file-pdf

Press release

If you wish to see the original press release for this research, you can download it here as a PDF.

Download
file-pdf

Methodology

Our research methodology and notes on how to interpret the data can be downloaded here as a PDF.

Download

Contact us

Dan Howdle

Dan Howdle

Consumer telecoms analyst

Email: dan@cable.co.uk

See also
Broadband speed test How to boost your speed
What speed do I need? Broadband streaming speeds
Broadband speeds in my area Broadband postcode checker
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